1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to railroad gate crossing apparatus, and more particularly to a railroad crossing gate height adjustment assembly and method for repositioning the height of the crossing gate above a new road approach surface to the railroad tracks.
2. Description of Related Art
Federal and/or regional code establishes the range of height of a road or highway crossing gate of a railroad crossing and signaling apparatus. However, the road approaches on either side of the railroad tracks crossing the road are subject to substantial wear and abuse as vehicles pass over the railroad tracks. These road approaches thus deteriorate much faster than the adjacent road surface in general and require more frequent road approach repair and/or replacement so as to minimize impact to the cars and trucks passing thereover as the road approach wear becomes excessive.
In effecting such road approach repair, when the road is resurfaced by the state, county, or if the railroad needs to replace ties in the road crossing or change out the crossing panels, a crew is dispatched to raise the railroad tracks to a height that will be compatible with the new higher road surface. All railroads have tie change out programs each year. Most of the road crossings during this tie change out program are usually redone resulting in the road and track being raised thus affecting the height of the crossing gate, although the railroad tracks themselves can remain fixed and unaltered in height or be raised. The road approach immediately adjacent to the tracks is typically coated over with an additional layer of road surface material such as asphalt or concrete. Because the crossing gate, when closed, is positioned at a short distance from the railroad tracks, the additional road repair layer added to the road approach diminishes the effective height of the crossing gate above the new road approach surface.
When such repairs occur, and the minimum required height of the crossing gate is thus effectively diminished, a separate maintenance procedure reestablishes and raises the height of the crossing gate when down in the “train approaching” position. Because there is a wiring conduit which extends between the gate base fixed into the ground and the gate mechanism positioned at the upper end of the wiring conduit, the typical maintenance procedure requires that this wiring conduit be removed, after which the gate mechanism and connected crossing gate are lifted upwardly on the signal mast of the crossing gate apparatus. The bundle of internal wiring within the wiring conduit is then disconnected at one end or cut so that the original wiring conduit may be removed and a longer one of exact new length installed with the internal wiring bundle being reinstalled or replaced and reconnected within the new longer wiring conduit. Thereafter, the gate mechanism is then lowered slightly so that the lower coupling at the end of the new wiring conduit may be reconnected to the top surface of the gate base. This procedure must be followed each time the road approach is resurfaced.
Applicant routinely engages in this activity as an employee of a national railroad company. He advises that a typical height reestablishment of the crossing gate will take a crew of three employees approximately a day if a signal crew of four men and a foreman with a backhoe and a boom truck to dig the gate foundation up and raise it with the boom truck is not available. When disconnecting the crossing gate wires, protection over the crossing must be provided with a 100 J stop and flag railroad crossing for all trains which means the train must stop short of the railroad crossing. A member of the train crew stops traffic, puts two fuses in the road and instructs the train to cross the road, gets back on the train and proceeds on. Each train must do this until the gate wires are connected back up and the crossing gate is tested. With the four man signal crew, it may take ½ day or more depending on if there are no utilities (like gas, fiber, water or electric). If there are and the backhoe can't be used, it must be dug by shovel. This way is used most because the 100 J stop and flag crossing only needs to be used when the boom truck lifts the crossing signal to the right height and the lights have been refocused and the crossing retested.
When the present invention is used on new crossing gate installations and installed while building and wiring the crossing gate, one man will be able to raise the gate height in about ½ hour. New gate mechanisms have more than enough slack on the wires so that the gate could be raised for many years. Slack on the wires is pushed back into the gate base. All the slack on the wires may also be clamped inside the gate mechanism so that, before the gate is raised, the clamp can be loosened and the wire will not get tangled up while the gate is being raised.
The present invention provides for an assembly which facilitates present and subsequent height readjustment of the crossing gate without the necessity of replacing the original wiring conduit and without the necessity of rewiring of the crossing gate apparatus.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.